Breast cancer is often associated with older women, but hospital data from Mumbai and Thane show that the disease can affect women well before menopause. At the Head and Neck Cancer Institute of India (HNCII), patients diagnosed with breast cancer ranged from as young as 23 to 98 years. At KIMS Hospital, Thane, one-third of patients who underwent breast cancer surgery between January and October 2026 were younger than 50.

Although breast cancer is less common among women in their 20s, age does not rule it out. Family history, inherited genetic mutations and other risk factors can contribute to its development, though the disease can also occur without identifiable risk factors. “Breast cancer develops when cells in the breast acquire changes that cause them to grow uncontrollably.…